2013 Digital PR Awards: Media Relations Campaign

The 125 independent McDonald's owners and operators in the New York tri-state area have always played a role supporting the local community. After significant research, MWW uncovered there were no nutrition education initiatives in the New York Metropolitan Area; thus, MWW saw an opportunity to get in front of the issue and provide seed funding to community organizations for nutrition awareness and education initiatives.

MWW and McDonald's NY Tri-State Owners/Operators Association created the McDonald's New York Metro Nutrition Network for the New York, Connecticut and New Jersey communities the co-op serves. The objectives of the McDonald's New York Metro Nutrition Network are to change the conversation around McDonald's and nutrition and dispel myths about its menu offerings, with success measured against traditional and social media benchmarks and key influencer buy-in and engagement.

The campaign looked to reach anyone who was discussing the nutritional value of McDonald's menu items, whether it be online or via traditional media. Through this audience, they sought to reach local nonprofit organizations. This target included community organizations intent on making a difference through projects or programs that promote nutrition and responsible eating choices in the areas that they serve.

Through research MWW learned that McDonald's would be viewed as an invaluable member of the local community if the brand provided the resources, knowledge and tools to community organizations to help them better educate their constituents about nutrition and help them make more informed choices about eating.

One component of the campaign involved Tanya Zuckerbrot, a reputable dietician, who held a “MeetUp” of 25 influential moms and members of the blogging community to begin the conversation on nutrition issues and wholesome choices for kids. These events were live tweeted from McDonald's local Twitter handle, including tips as well as photos.

Digitally speaking, the campaign was a big success, with a 2,300% increase in social media impressions around McDonald's and nutrition, with 99% of them considered "favorable”; it also received 5.7 million Twitter impressions and 1,207 Twitter mentions.